General Motors had been considering the idea of a mid-engined Corvette for over five decades before finally bringing this into showrooms with the C8. And while there are still enthusiasts who prefer the engine north of the firewall, the midship configuration has obvious benefits for driving dynamics. The racing encounter we have here brings a clear example of this.
You don't need to take the C8 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray to a circuit to notice its weight distribution asset; a simple straight-line battle will easily showcase this. And, for these shenanigans, the Chevy duked it out with the mid-range incarnation of its predecessor, namely the C7 Z06.
With the gearheads wielding the slabs of America willing to reach a clear conclusion, they went for both a standing and a rolling start, although the latter was more or less even. Apart from the obvious safety aspects, that is yet another reason to visit the drag strip when engaging in such battles, with the controlled environment increasing the chances of a fair fight.
Now, the C8 we have here comes in factory form, which means its 6.2-liter LT2 V8 delivers up to 495 hp (502 PS) and 470 lb-ft (637 Nm) of twist.
As for the C7 Corvette Z06, its supercharged 6.2-liter LT2 obviously puts it into a different output league, with the V8 churning out 650 hp (659 PS) and 650 lb-ft (881 Nm) of torque. And while YouTuber Can I Be Frank, who caught the stunt on camera, mentions that this particular unit uses a cold air intake, we can't talk about serious performance gains coming from the aftermarket bit.
On the transmission front, both 'Vettes pack eight-speed units, but while the C8 Stingray sports a dual-clutch, the Z06 has to make do with an automatic.
As far as the scale footprint is concerned, the sports cars are pretty close, with both sitting well north of 3,500 lbs (1,600 kg).
Of course, all this racing action only increases the anticipation for the C8 Chevrolet Corvette Z06, which should arrive later this year. By the way, have you heard the rumors about its flat-plane crank 5.5-liter LT6 delivering well over 600 horsepower and thus becoming the most powerful production N/A V8 in the world?
In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist. Full profile
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